Crunchy Burmese Cabbage Salad
(Gawbi lethoke)

By Wendy Hutton, Southeast Asia’s Best Recipes, From Bangkok to Bali

Reprinted with the express permission of Tuttle Publishing.

The Burmese have perfected the art of making salads, first choosing the vegetables, then adding extra ingredients for saltiness, texture, fragrance and acidity. In this simple yet really tasty recipe, shredded cabbage is mixed with onion, dried shrimp and lime juice, together with crisp-fried shallots.

Serves 4–6
Preparation time: 20 mins + 1 hour soaking
Cooking time: 5 mins

5 cups (375 g) round cabbage or Chinese (Napa) cabbage, finely shredded
1 medium onion, halved lengthwise, thinly sliced across
1 teaspoon salt
3 tablespoons dried shrimp, dry roasted over low heat for 4–5 minutes, blended to a fine powder
2–3 tablespoons lime juice
1 tablespoon oil, preferably shallot or garlic-flavored oil
1 green finger-length chili, thinly sliced,
or 1 teaspoon crushed dried chili flakes
1–2 tablespoons Crisp-fried Shallots (omit if using Burmese Crispy Dried Shrimp Sprinkle)

Put the cabbage in a bowl, cover with cold water and refrigerate for 1 hour. Combine the onion with the salt, mixing well. Stand for 30 minutes, then rinse briefly and squeeze out the moisture. Set the onion aside.

Drain the soaked cabbage thoroughly, then put into a bowl. Add the onion, dried shrimp powder, if using, 2 tablespoons lime juice, oil and chili. Mix thoroughly by hand, squeezing the cabbage slightly to bruise it. Taste and add more salt and lime juice if desired.

Put the cabbage in a serving bowl and scatter with the crisp-fried shallots. Serve immediately with rice and other dishes.

Chicken and Three-Color Pepper Stir-Fry Bento

By Makiko Itoh, The Just Bento Cookbook, Everyday Lunches to Go

Recipes © 2010 Makiko Itoh from The Just Bento Cookbook published by Kodansha International

This beginner bento is made with everyday ingredients that you may already have in your pantry.  It can be assembled in twenty minutes or less without any advance preparation.

Contents:
Chicken and Three-Color Pepper Stir-Fry (recipe below)
Instant Cabbage and Cucumber Pickles (recipe below)
Blanched Broccoli
Basic White Rice
Cherry Tomatoes

For the Chicken Stir-Fry

1/2 Tbsp olive or other vegetable oil
3 Tbsp roughly chopped green onion
2 tsp peeled and finely chopped fresh ginger
1/3 each medium-sized red, green, and yellow sweet peppers, de-seeded and cut into 1/2 inch (1 cm) chunks
salt, for sprinkling
2 oz (60 g) boneless, skinless chicken breast, cut into 1/2 inch (1 cm) chunks
black pepper, to taste
1 Tbsp soy sauce
lettuce or shiso leaves used as dividers, optional

Heat the oil in a frying pan over medium heat.  Add the green onion and ginger and stir-fry for 1-2 minutes until the oil is fragrant.  Turn the heat up to the highest setting and add the peppers to the pan.  Stir-fry with a spatula or long chopsticks.  Sprinkle in some salt–this draws out moisture from the vegetables and cooks them a bit faster.  Continue stir-frying for 4-5 minutes, until the peppers are cooked.

Push the vegetables to the sides of the pan, and add the chicken to the exposed bottom.  Leave for a couple minutes, then turn over to cook the other side.  Stir everything together, and add the black pepper and soy sauce.

Turn the stir fry from the pan onto a cool plate so that it cools rapidly.  When cooled, pack into the bento box, using the lettuce or shiso leaves as a divider.

Make Ahead Note: Cut up the vegetables and chicken the night before, so everything is ready to just cook.  Be sure to keep the raw chicken stored separately from the vegetables for safety.

For the Cabbage and Cucumber Pickles

1 large green cabbage leaf
2 inch (5 cm) length English cucumber, sliced into thin rounds
1/2 tsp sea salt
squeeze lemon juice

Cut out the tough vein of the cabbage leaf and slice the rest into strips. Sprinkle the cabbage and cucumber with salt, and massage well with your hands until the vegetables go limp. Let rest for at least five minutes. Add a squeeze of lemon juice.

Squeeze out any excess moisture before packing into a bento box. To prevent the mingling of flavors, put the pickles into a small container or cupcake liner before adding to the box.

To Assemble Bento Box

1. Pack the rice tightly into up to half the bento box.

2. Fill half to two-thirds the box with the chicken stir-fry. Use a divider or a lettuce leaf to separate the rice from the stir-fry.

3. Add the small container of the pickles.

4. Fill in any gaps with broccoli florets and/or cherry tomatoes.

Thai Turkey Basil Lettuce Wraps

By Jaden Hair, Courtesy of The Pampered Chef

I recently took a trip to The Pampered Chef headquarters in Chicago to host their first ever live online cooking show featuring holiday recipes and decor tips. I had great fun, thousands of people watched online and here is one of the recipes that we made on the show. The original recipe calls for chicken, but since I know that you’ll have plenty of turkey leftover from Thanksgiving, this is a great way to use them! Bottled poppy seed salad dressing gets the flavorful peanut sauce off to a running start for these refreshing wraps.

INGREDIENTS:

Peanut Sauce
2   tbsp (30 mL) dry-roasted peanuts, chopped
1   tbsp (15 mL) chopped fresh basil, chopped
1/4   cup (50 mL) store-bought poppy seed salad dressing
2   tsp (10 mL) Pampered Chef Asian Seasoning Mix (or see below)
1   tbsp (15 mL) rice vinegar
1   tbsp (15 mL) water

Salad
1   small cucumber
1/2   medium red bell pepper
1 1/2   cups (375 mL) shredded cooked turkey (8 oz/250 g)
4   large Boston or bibb lettuce leaves

Additional chopped peanuts and chopped fresh basil (optional)

Directions:

Combine peanuts, basil, dressing, seasoning mix, vinegar and water in a small bowl; set aside.

For salad, peel cucumber; slice into julienne strips, avoiding seeds. Slice bell pepper into thin strips. Shred chicken; toss with half of the sauce. Set remaining sauce aside for dipping.

To serve, divide cucumber among lettuce leaves. Spoon turkey mixture over cucumber. Top with bell pepper. Garnish wraps with additional peanuts and basil, if desired. Serve with remaining peanut sauce.

Yield: 2 servings

NOTE:  The recipe calls for Pampered Chef Asian Seasoning mix, but if you don’t have it, you can make your own substitute: 2 tsp (10 mL) soy sauce, 1 tsp (5 mL) finely grated gingerroot and 1 finely minced  garlic clove.

Mapo Tofu

Courtesy of Periplus Editors

Serves 2
Preparation time: 20 mins
Cooking time: 20 mins

1 cake (10 oz/300 g) soft tofu, cubed
2 tablespoons oil
2 teaspoons minced garlic
1 small chili pepper, deseeded and thinly sliced
1 tablespoon hot bean paste (see note)
2 tablespoons pickled mustard cabbage (gai choy), chopped (optional)
1 teaspoon wine
1/4 cup (60 ml) chicken or vegetable stock
1 tablespoon soy sauce
1 teaspoon sugar
1/4 teaspoon ground black pepper
1/2 cup (80 g) diced bell pepper
2 teaspoons cornstarch mixed with 2 tablespoons water
1 teaspoon sesame oil
1 green onion (scallion), thinly sliced, to garnish

1 Bring a small saucepan of water to a boil. Blanch the diced tofu for about 4 minutes. Rinse and drain.
2 Heat the oil in a wok and stir-fry the garlic and chili for about 1 minute. Add the broad bean paste and stir-fry until aromatic, about 1 more minute, then stir in the pickled mustard cabbage.
3 Pour in the wine, then add the chicken or vegetable stock, soy sauce, sugar and pepper, then mix to combine. Add the tofu and bell pepper, stirring carefully, then simmer over low heat for 2 minutes.
4 Add the cornstarch mixture and stir gently until the sauce thickens. Sprinkle with the sesame oil and serve hot, garnished with the chopped green onions.

Hot bean paste (do ban jian or toban djan), or chili bean sauce, is a Sichuan-style chili sauce made from chilies and fermented black beans. It is used to add heat to cooked dishes or as a dipping sauce.